Share this story

Related Content

PORTLAND, Ore. - A man was arrested Thursday night after SERT was called to a downtown Portland apartment building following an armed robbery at a bank.

The robbery happened at the Wells Fargo branch at 1900 S.W. 5th Avenue.

According to police, 32-year-old Steven Wayne Gentry walked in armed with a handgun and demanded money. He fled with an undisclosed amount of cash; however, police said they had not yet found a weapon.

Police immediately began canvassing the area to try to find Gentry. They were specifically searching the area of I-405 and Highway 26, west of Portland State University.

The Portland Police Bureau's Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) was later activated once police believed the suspect had holed up inside an apartment building at 1115 S.W. 11th Avenue.

The surrounding area was shut down to traffic and residents were told to shelter in place while police worked to resolve the situation.

Police later announced that SERT officers had secured the apartment in question and three people were detained. Two of them were released and police said they were not involved in the robbery.

Gentry was booked into jail and faces federal bank robbery charges.

Same bank was also robbed on Oct. 24

This is the second time this particular bank has been robbed in recent weeks.

Back on Oct. 24, a man armed with what was believed to be a pipe bomb walked into the bank, demanded money and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The suspect remains on the loose. Anyone with information that can help investigators track him down is asked to call Detective Brent Christensen at (503) 823-0894.

Suspect description

White male

30 to 40 years old

6+ feet tall

Weighs as much as 265 pounds

The suspect was last seen wearing a green winter jacket with a hood, blue jeans and black shoes.